On December 8, 2015, the Cubs traded second baseman Starlin Castro to the Yankees for righthander Adam Warren and a player to be named later. He went on to bat,.270 in 2016, and .300 in 2017.He drove in 133 runs over those two seasons.

The “Moose,” Mike Mussina, was born on December 8, 1968. After a decade with the Baltimore Orioles,he signed a free agent contract with the Yankees in November 2000 and passed the 100 victory mark while pitching for New York in 2007. Mike joined Hall of Famer Lefty Grove as the second hurler to attain that win total with two different teams.He retired in 2008 leaving the game after posting his lone 20-win season, giving him a 270-153 career record.

On the Other Hand …

The “anchor” of the staff is the term the Yanks used when they signed San Diego Padre Andy Hawkins to a free agent contract on December 8, 1988. Hawkins would post a 20-29 mark before his release in May 1991. In three starts against the Red Sox, he pitched a total of one inning and gave up 18 runs, a 162.00 era.

Another negative December 8th Yankee transaction was the 1966 swap of Yankee homer-hitting hero Roger Maris to the Cardinals for journeyman third baseman Charley Smith. While Roger’s power totals over the next two seasons dipped to 14 homers and 100 RBI, it easily outpaced the 10/45 numbers Smith put up in the Bronx. Maris went to two World Series for the Cards in ’67 and ’68, where he added another homer and eight RBI.

On December 8, 2001, the Yankees signed right-handed set-up man Steve Karsay.He posted a 6-4 record and a decent 3.26 era,while getting 12 saves, filling in for Mariano Rivera. But injuries would be a problem for Karsay, as he sat out the entire 2003 season and by 2005 he was no longer a Yankee. He is currently a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers.